WILTON, Conn. – Wilton Public Schools Superintendent Gary Richards was selected as the 2013 Superintendent of the Year by the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents.

Richards, the top administrator at Wilton Schools since 2004, “serves as a model for the general public and for his colleagues in the superintendency for what superintendents need to do and for the kind of leadership that superintendents need to provide,” said Joseph Cirasuolo, executive director of the superintendents’ association.

Cirasuolo said Richards was chosen to recognize his leadership in Wilton, which has resulted in “many additions of value to that school system.” Among them are development and implementation of an inclusion program for special needs students, district advancements in the use of technology as a tool for teachers, learning and administration, and developing a program to get financial support for the school system from the town and private sources, officials said.

Richards previously worked as the schools chief in New Canaan, Oak Park, Calif. and San Marino, Calif.

Along with the Connecticut honor, Richards is nominated to be national superintendent of the year by the American Association of School Administrators. The winner will be announced during the AASA’s National Conference on Education next February.